Continuing to learn about the meaningful ways that being part of NYJO has shaped the lives of its musicians, our Comms Coordinator Sofi is joined by esteemed saxophonist Lisa Grahame.
Since graduating from her position as lead alto in NYJO in 1995, Lisa’s journey has seen her working in broadcasting, West End shows and eventually, travelling the globe. She’s toured and recorded with artists including Maceo Parker, Al Green, Eric Clapton, Sam Moore, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Stereophonics and is currently an ambassador for Cannonball Saxophones in the UK. Lisa is most famous for her long running stint (18 years!) as part of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.
What did it mean for you as a young musician to join NYJO and how did you feel when you first played with the band?
Well, that’s really easy for me to answer because my father took me to a NYJO full band concert when I was about 15. It wasn’t just the sound but also the excitement of seeing a big band, which you don’t necessarily anticipate the impact of. When you’re coming through secondary school, you play in bands and maybe smaller ensembles, but when you stand or sit in front of a big band for the first time: it’s a wall of sound and visuals. It’s intoxicating. And this is what made me want to be part of it.
I fondly remember that first live experience that led on to me wanting to go to weekly NYJO rehearsals. I literally went every Saturday religiously, up on the bus from Reading where I lived at the time.
How did your relationship with your instrument change and develop when you joined NYJO?
NYJO was a very, very supportive environment for me. I wanted to play with these people, not against them so it was all about listening. The whole point is that you were learning how to adjust to different players, different sounds, different approaches.
A lot of us had different musical tastes. I mean, there were a lot who wanted to be Michael Brecker (American Jazz saxophonist).You could hear all these musical influences coming through in their playing. I loved Maceo Parker (American funk soul and jazz saxophonist). Maceo didn’t use so many notes, and I found that refreshing, whereas my colleagues at the time were trying to play millions of notes!!! What I eventually realised is that it was totally OK to be different and like Maceo/Stevie Wonder and the like. It’s just what grabs you that matters.
Tell us something that people might not know about saxophonists…
Well, first and foremost, I’d probably say… sax players don’t always listen to sax players for their influences and inspiration. A lot of my inspiration came from vocalists, actually. And I think the second thing is that, sometimes when you start playing the sax, you bypass your own sound. The best bit of advice I had was to find your own sound, and that will be based on what you’re listening to, what your heart feels and what sort of styles you like. Players can sometimes overlook this and become very good “sax technicians.” For me, it isn’t enough to just be a good technician, you’ve got to find your soul, your heart, and get that sound through your instrument, whichever way comes naturally to you.
What advice do you think you would give NYJO graduates starting out in the industry?
One of the main ones is being accepting of different people’s approaches, skills, sounds. Listen and be understanding. It’s very important to be sociable: it is the entertainment business, after all. You know, you get back what you put in. A lot of my experience now is more in gigging and playing to audiences.
Alongside people skills, technical skills, you also have to essentially run your own business. You are the whole product from the start, from the first phone call, and all before you’ve played a note. So it’s the impression you give people, it’s how you run your business, you return calls, you turn up on time. You need to be bookable and reliable!
What lessons or values from NYJO have stayed with you over the years?
I think playing with NYJO taught me to trust my surroundings: you’re not pulling someone else along. If anything, they’re pulling you along and you’re pulling together rather than individually.
There is something very liberating about being able to play freely knowing that everyone around you is doing their job, enabling you to be 100% creative. NYJO gave me that trust to develop my improvisation: as everyone around me was at the top of their game.
These days, after always working on other people’s projects (playing West End shows for 7 1/2 years and then in Jools Holland’s band for 18 years,) I am finally composing my own music. I just felt like I needed to start tapping into my creative ideas . So I’ve just started writing this year. Get ready for some funky soul-y chooooons!!!!
What have been some of your career highlights?
I think playing a duet of Hallelujah I Love her So with Maceo Parker on Jools’ Radio 2 Show and playing Let’s Stay Together with Al Green (with Dave Gilmour on Guitar) on The Jonathon Ross Show. Those are two of my favourite highlights. There really are many but those two stick out for me.